While the majority of the card shaped up as expected, there was one
late addition. Previously thought to go down at next week’s
Bellator 40, a lightweight tournament semifinal between
two-time runner-up Toby Imada and
heavy-handed Brazilian Patricky
“Pitbull” Freire has been shifted to this Saturday’s main
draw.

Bellator 39 goes down April 2 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn., and will be headlined by a lightweight title
bout between champion Eddie
Alvarez and second-season tournament winner Pat Curran.
Also featured will be a welterweight tournament semifinal pitting
unbeaten Olympic judoka Rick Hawn
against former titleholder Lyman Good.
Additionally, UFC veteran Ben
Saunders will make his Bellator debut against
Massachusetts-based veteran Matt Lee.

“I need to live up to my own expectations. More than any fight in
my career, I just want to completely dominate,” said Alvarez in a
release. “It has nothing to do with Pat; it’s just what I feel like
I have to do, regardless of whom I’m fighting, in order to earn my
rank of No. 1 in the world. I won’t be happy with anything less
than complete and total domination.”

Curran rides a four-fight win streak of his own into his
confrontation with the champion. The 23-year-old has finished half
of his career victims and owns notable victories over Roger
Huerta and the aforementioned Imada.

“I’ve been dreaming every night about this Bellator world
championship fight with Eddie Alvarez. I think about it in the
morning, all day, when I go to bed, and in my dreams,” said Curran.
“I’m coming out there to shock the world. I’m going to stand right
in front of Eddie, and I’m going to let my hands fly. I have all
the confidence in the world that I can beat Eddie Alvarez, so now
it’s up to me to go out there and do it.”